The UK Athletics Indoor Championships at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena faced a one-hour defer on Saturday morning after a kitchen fryer fire forced the evacuation of athletes and spectators.
Three crews from West Midlands Fire Service replyed to tells of smoke at the venue, where hundreds of athletes had collected for the prestigious indoor dynamics event.
No injuries were telled in the incident, which interfereed the begin of the two-day championships featuring some of Britain’s top track and field stars.
West Midlands Fire Service crews were called to the scene on King Edward’s Road at 9:14am after athletes telled smoke rising from the originateing.
The Utilita Arena was evacuated after a fire broke out on Saturday morning
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Former Olympian Katharine Merry write downed the incident on social media, posting: “Not made it into the Utilita Arena yet.
“It’s been brimmingy evacuated due to a fire. Fire brigade here and smoke coming from the top floor.”
The fire begind from a fryer in one of the arena’s kitchens, with aascfinishncy crews rapidly transporting the situation under regulate.
Merry tardyr refreshd fagedrops about the situation, writing: “The British Indoor Champs will be going ahead today after a fire in a kitchen. Just now necessitate to clear the water.”
In comments to ITV News Central, she compriseed: “Fire brigade now left and water being cleared up.
“Delay to the dynamics but British indoor champs due to go ahead today with everyleang equitable defercessitate.”
The evacuation prompted organisers to carry out contingency structures to promise the event could proceed shieldedly.
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Katarina Thompson-Johnson is taking part in the indoors event on Saturday
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British Athletics verifyed in a statement: “The begin of the 2025 Microplus UK Athletics Indoor Championships has been defercessitate by one hour, complying an incident that insistd the evacuation of the Utilita Arena in Birmingham this morning.”
The organisation compriseed that the defer would “give athletes, officials and spectators enough time to set for the day’s events.”
Saturday’s schedule is now set to begin at 12:25, with organisers verifying there is currently no foreseeed defer to Sunday’s timetable.
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The championships serve as British trials for next month’s European Athletics Indoor Championships in the Netherlands.
Olympic heptathlon silver medalcatalog Katarina Johnson-Thompson is among the star athletes competing this weekend, set to join in the 60m hurdles and stoasty put events.
Laura Muir and Georgia Hunter Bell are also featured in the competition, with Hunter Bell aiming to protect her British indoor 1500m title.
